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Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)

How to Stay in Tokyo for Free: Part 1 – Introduction & Planning

June 26, 2017
by
Million Mile Secrets Million Mile Secrets

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Emily: Have you always wanted to visit Japan? You can get there for a fraction of the cost with a few credit card sign-up bonuses!

My boyfriend and I recently flew from Austin to Japan for ~$200 round trip in Business Class. And for 3 weeks of lodging (including some fancy hotels), I spent ~$450!

Japan is a beautiful country with LOTS to see and do, from high-rise skyscrapers to old temples to hot springs. I loved Tokyo for its energetic neighborhoods, shopping, and delicious restaurants.

The Tokyo Skyline Is Busy and Beautiful

Wherever you go, you’re sure to have an amazing time! In this series, I’ll go into detail about where I stayed in Tokyo, what to do, and some of my favorite restaurants, and show you how you can do it, too!

Introduction & Planning

Ever since I was a little girl I’ve always wanted to go to Japan. Back then, I was in love with Sanrio themed stationery and stickers. My boyfriend is half Japanese, and grew up in Okinawa, Japan, for the first 20 years of his life.

He left Japan when he was 20, and hadn’t been back since — in nearly 20 years! Because I love helping fulfill others’ travel dreams, I jumped at the opportunity to reunite family and see Japan for myself!

$700 a Night Hotel for Free Using Points

In Tokyo, we stayed at the Grand Hyatt in Roppongi Hills. This hotel regularly sells rooms for $700 per night. But I booked it for a combination of 25,000 Hyatt points per night anda free night stay!

The hotel had a perfect location that was within ~30 minutes from the main sites via public transportation.

The Park Hyatt Tokyo, while we didn’t stay here, is also an excellent way to use Hyatt points. Rooms here frequently sell for $1,000+! But it costs 30,000 Hyatt points per night to stay at this hotel.

Great Views of the City From Our Room at the Grand Hyatt

Both hotels have incredible locations, so it just depends on your preference. But I really liked the Grand Hyatt. The next time I’m in Tokyo, I’d love to stay at the Park Hyatt to compare!

What to Do in Tokyo

Because Tokyo is such a dynamic and spirited city, it would take years to appreciate all it has to offer. One of my favorite experiences was exploring the different neighborhoods with a couple of friends at night.

Christina is Alfy’s friend from a high school in Okinawa. She brought her husband, Cody, with her to show us around the city. They live in Tokyo so they had plenty of local favorites to show us.

Christina and Cody Were Excellent Street Tour Guides

You can tour the neighborhoods yourself and stop at the many convenience stores along the way to grab cheap alcoholic drinks like we did. And you can drink freely on the streets of Japan!

Nightlife in Tokyo Can Be Overwhelming! It’s Almost as If the Sun Never Actually Sets

Tokyo also has animal cafes, where you can enjoy a coffee and interact with cute animals like cats, bunnies, and owls! I went to a bunny cafe in Nagoya, and you can pay to do a mini photo shoot with a bunny where you dress it up in costumes and take pictures of it “on location.”

Bottom Line

Tokyo is a traveler’s paradise with a lot to offer. It’s energetic, fun, and truly unique. Our flights to Japan in Business Class were just ~$200 total, and our 5-night hotel stay in Tokyo was completelyfree!

My only regret was that we only spent 5 nights in the city. It just wasn’t long enough! I can’t wait to return and stay longer.

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Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)

19comments

Found this out by accident reading something else – just want to make people aware that Japan has restrictions on bringing in medications and requires travelers to have certain documentation. And, certain medications, like those treating ADHD, are illegal, not just restricted. I was surprised to learn this. So, search for this information if you are planning travel there and if this might impact you.

Hey, MMS, you might want to do a piece on medicine restrictions when traveling to certain places and how to check. Since your blog has such wide readership, this could be really useful to a lot of people.

@Emily, you’re welcome. Although I’d always collected miles and points when I traveled, it was this blog that really got me “into” it back in 2011, so thank you. I even won 3 days of parking back when you didn’t have so many readers as you do now!

I think it would be really helpful for you guys to do a post on this topic. For me, I actually was reading another blog about someone traveling in the Middle East and having a problem. Then I Googled the topic for some places were were planning to travel to, and found out about Japan’s restrictions. There were some posts on Flyertalk, but in general, it isn’t something you’d actually know about or find easily. Most surprising was some of the meds that are restricted in Japan – I think Sudafed is one of them. Biggest issue is trying to find the info on the Japanese websites about what is illegal, what requires approval documentation, etc. – this would be a good job for Daraius to figure out!! (Sorry, D). But I also wonder if there are other countries that have similar restrictions. You all reach so many people that I think you could add a useful voice on this topic.

Finally, I love that you have more of your own voice on the blog now (and, totally off topic- I really like your longer hairstyle.)

Thanks for all the useful info you provide, and keep up the good work!

@ Marilyn- Glad to hear you are a long time reader and that you won a giveaway. I probably processed it for you back then. The medicine restriction does seem complicated and in need of some research. I’ll make sure Daraius gets right on it! 😉 And thank you for the nice comments regarding my own voice. It means a lot. 🙂

You inspired us to go to Tokyo from your last roundup of Tokyo Trip posts. We saved up a combination of AA / MR points to fly to Japan next month! 120k AA Biz via JAL for $88 in tax. Also, flying ANA One Way on United’s Dreamliner, randomly got a ANA trick to work only using 120k for 2 people Biz class., taxes were $300, but the Barclay A+ took care of that. 2 Free nights at the Park Hyatt, staying at cheap Choice hotels! All in under 4 months, your blog started it all for us. So, thank you!

@Emily – Will do! Thanks for publishing interesting content on your blog! The hardest part like many was finding award space, JAL updates everyday and flights come in and out. AA Agents need to be walk throughed the whole booking process. Looking forward to the rest of your Tokyo Series before we arrive there!

@ARK – Most places would say the trick is dead, but you would have to fiddle with it from different routings to get it to work. I didn’t have enough MR to transfer to ANA so I decided to just have a throw away ticket. Which would be 60k/pp – 65k/pp. From West Coast try the Mixed Cabin from SFO-TYO / TYO-HNL. It should be 62.5k Total ANA points. The throw away ticket would be TYO-HNL economy. Or just take that trip there 🙂 East Coast departures I would try EWR-TYO / Monterrey-HOU. Check United’s award map to see what is available, 90% of the time ANA will have that also.

@ Vee- I’m so glad we inspired you to go to Tokyo! Japan is a wonderful place. And it sounds like you have planned a fantastic trip–exactly what Big Travel with Small Money is all about! Share your pics with us on social, and let us know if you’re interested in contributing to our “Reader Success Story” series after your trip! 🙂

Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)